Principal Fulltime

Job Description

Pay: Highly competitive + perf. bonus + health careStart Date: January 2021Leigh Academies Trust is now recruiting for the Principal of Strood Academy who will join us in January 2021: a truly rare leadership opportunity within a very successful and financially sound, mature and geographically local multi-academy trust that combines management freedom for effective leaders with secure central support that encourages collaboration for success. We are looking for someone who is ambitious for the children of Medway, to enhance their life chances and provide a bright future for them and their families.Strood Academy has recently enjoyed its first decade and joined LAT in January 2017. It occupies state-of-the-art accommodation first opened in 2011 and is perfectly positioned near to the A2 motorway on the western fringes of Medway with excellent access to both London and the rest of Kent. It is a large, oversubscribed co-educational academy with eight forms of entry to year seven and a growing sixth form offering the International Baccalaureate Careers-related Programme alongside more traditional A Levels. The academy is currently rated "good" by Ofsted in all areas and has considerable potential to go one step further, supported by a proactive governing body who give generously of their time.Our successful candidate will receive encouragement, support and guidance not only to develop this large and ambitious academy but also to develop your own career within the Trust. You will already be an exceptional senior leader at a successful secondary school with real ambition to improve the life chances of the students at Strood Academy.Click here to view the full Recruitment Pack.We wish to hear from you if you really want to change our education world and are:

an enthusiastic, energetic and ambitious school leader with a track record of success at secondary level;

a motivational and inspirational leader with high expectations of staff;

confident and able to communicate a clear vision for the school;

able to develop children to reach their full potential regardless of background or circumstance;

approachable and keen to work with staff across the Trust to ensure wide success;

able to establish and develop excellent relationships with the community and other stakeholders.

In return, you will receive:

a competitive salary along with private healthcare and an opportunity to earn a performance bonus;

an exciting LAT career path with opportunities for further progression in the future;

security and support on your journey from close collaboration with a small central executive and a larger group of talented Principals to share best practice and innovation.

Arranging a visit to the academy: On the basis that interested candidates will be keen to visit the academy before making a formal application, you can arrange this by contacting Emma Johnson (EA to CEO) - . Candidates wishing to have an initial conversation with the CEO about this role can also arrange for a telephone call. Those wishing to do so should also contact Emma Johnson in the first instance.The academy is committed to safeguarding children and successful candidates will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check. Our commitment to safeguarding is underpinned by robust processes and checks which are in place across the Trust.Closing Date: 16/09/2020 at 12:00Interviews: 23rd and 24th September 2020Information about the schoolWorking for Strood Academy: Since opening in 2009, our academy has transformed the educational opportunities and outcomes for girls and boys in Strood. The improvement in academic performance has been driven by a talented and committed workforce, the hard work of our students, and support from parents and our community. Our new buildings in Carnation Road were designed in partnership with Nicholas Hare and built by BAM as our main contractor at a cost of £26m. They opened in September 2012 and have outstanding learning environments and outside play areas as well as fantastic sports facilities. The buildings reflect our education vision of creating a mature and purposeful educational environment where children of all abilities can learn and thrive.Our core value is "Building ambition; inspiring pride" and our purpose at Strood Academy is to:nurture students aspirations and build resilience within an environment of tolerance, respect and empathy; shape leaders within a global community; develop and celebrate knowledgeable and inquiring minds to promote lifelong learning and; help young people develop into well educated, considerate and caring citizens.We have a growing roll call of 1,400 children, including 200 in Sixth Form. Working in our academy takes a lot of dedication and hard work, but for the right individuals, it can be an incredibly rewarding experience and contribute significantly to personal and professional development.Being part of Leigh Academies Trust: As of 1st September 2020, our Trust will comprise 28 geographically organised academies (11 secondaries, 15 primaries and 2 special) educating over 16,000 students, and employing over 2,500 talented staff. We also have one further secondary academy in the development phase, due to open in September 2021. The Trust is establishing four clusters of academies: North West Kent; Central Kent; South East London; Medway. In addition, the Trust is responsible for one of the regions biggest initial teaching training providers and a large teaching school. Click here to view our future plans in our Vision 2025 document.As part of Leigh Academies Trust you will have ample opportunity to collaborate with your peers both within the academy and across the whole Trust. This is an important part of our vision as we know through experience that we perform better when we work together. You are supported to undertake regular self-development to continue your professional development and hopefully progress further within the organisation.We strive to offer a range of benefits that all employees can take advantage of which we regularly review and add to - click here to view what youd receive as a member of staff with Leigh Academies Trust.Diversity at our core: As a Trust, we are passionate about diversity and recognise that as individuals we all bring something unique to the role regardless of age, gender, race, beliefs or disabilities which is why we treat all of our people equally, without compromise.The academy is committed to safeguarding children, and successful candidates will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check. Our commitment to safeguarding is underpinned by robust processes and checks which are in place across the Trust.Our School and all its personnel are co